LGBT+ pride flag ‘rebranding’ sparks countrywide outrage:

For many years the LGBT+ community have expressed their pride through the rainbow flag that symbolises the unity and strength of the community, fighting for equality. In recent months however, the LGBT+ flag has been ‘rebranded’ according to many saddened members of the community through NHS rainbow.

The public have wanted to show their support and thanks for the NHS and many have done this by plastering rainbows across their gardens and houses, many hanging flags that were designed for pride events for the NHS.

Members of the community have all showed their disbelief on using this symbol for the NHS support on various online platforms claiming it ‘takes away the rights they have worked hard to achieve’ for this community and others claiming it’s a purposeful attack for homophobic people trying to cast a shadow across the LGBT+ people.

“The NHS deserve their rainbow flag because at least that is an issue that actually matters”

So, should this symbol be shared across the two causes or be claimed by one community?

People fighting for the cause of using the rainbow flag for the NHS say that the rainbow is a natural occurrence and cannot be owned by one community. However, members of the LGBT+ community argue that the LGBT rainbow only consists of 6 colours rather than the seven of the natural rainbow and thus is not an ‘actual rainbow’.

Members of LGBT+ and supporters claim that it is unfair that homophobic citizens and members of the government will fly the rainbow flag for the NHS and use it as a symbol as support for the healthcare system but will try and ban LGBT+ rights and act out against them. This ‘takes away’ the true meaning behind their flag and should not be allowed as it seems they are deliberately trying to give the rainbow a new purpose.

An LGBT+ rights activist stated that ‘The NHS are doing an amazing job at keeping UK people safe and deserve all the recognition they are getting for their hard work but there are so many other symbols we can use to show our support like the Union Jack, the symbol of unity in England. Taking away the pride flag and giving it to the NHS when we are in the mids of fighting for acceptance takes away years of progress from our cause and makes LGBT+ people feel like they are not cared about’.

Many online trolls can be seen posting hateful and aggressive messages towards the community for their upset on the issue, with one person saying that ‘The NHS deserve their rainbow flag because at least that is an issue that actually matters’.

Although it seems the initial usage of the rainbow to show support for the NHS was set about with good intentions, many others have used it as a way to attack others and the issue is evolving into something greater, even if that’s not how it started out.